[Dixielandjazz] Igor's Question

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Chris Tyle <jazzchops at isp.com> wrote;
>
> On last Saturday and Sunday nights I played drums on in a club on
> Bourbon Street in New Orleans with a quartet led by clarinetist Orange
> Kellin. We played mostly pop tunes and some ODJB tunes. The majority  
> of
> the audience were under-50. They didn't ask for any Beatles tunes or
> anything written after WWII. As a matter of fact, the only requests  
> were
> from a women in her 30s that asked for Ray Noble's "I Wished on the
> Moon" and Walter Donaldson's "Did I Remember." She had heard the  
> Billie
> Holiday versions and they were favorites of hers.
>
> My opinion about getting more of a younger audience is simply the  
> venues
> where the music is presented. They are not going to go to festivals
> unless they are swing dancers. Playing "modern" tunes is not going to
> bring them to festivals (and those "modern" Beatles tunes are now  
> 40-45
> years old!) IMO, the 20-30 crowd isn't going to be anymore familiar  
> with
> "Yesterday" than they are "Yesterdays."
>
> Playing bop tunes in trad style, while a nice way to extend the
> repertoire, isn't going to bring in a younger audience, either.  
> Younger
> people are more likely to know "What a Wonderful World" than "Tin  
> Tin Deo."
>
> I think if festivals really wanted to bring younger people in, they  
> need
> to think about bringing in some of the younger bands that Steve  
> Barbone
> has mentioned, and also by doing some other type of event in  
> conjunction
> with the festival. Perhaps a day were local microbrews are featured.
> Seems to me in wouldn't be difficult to get something like that going.
> Festival promoters would be wise to check out events other than music
> that draw a younger crowd.

You make some good points IMO, Chris. We find that the venue is the  
most important part of the equation. Play where the kids are. We've  
been doing that for 15 years. (kids = under 50 years old in my book)

That being said, here are some other observations about young audiences:

1) Kids want to be involved in the show. We involve them, make love to  
them etc. Get girls up on the stand, sit them on a stool and sing sexy  
songs to them. ("I Want A Little Girl" etc.)

2) The actual songs are secondary, anything that swings, has some  
energy and is presented by a band that is obviously having lots of fun  
is much more important IMO. They dig all the warhorse tunes if they  
are played with fire. And why not? They are new songs to them.

3) We treat them as equals, meeting them on their turf at their level.  
No elitism or looking down on them.

4) We do play Beatles, Stevie Wonder etc tunes for those in their  
40s-50s and they relate to them. We also play current pop tunes. Lots  
of them are tuneful. We get them by listening to Alicia Keyes, Diana  
Krall or some of the others who sing them. We don't get all hung up on  
the notion that there is no good music out there today. There is lots  
of good music out there.

5) We also listen to what the young bands, Jitterbug Vipers, Loose  
Marbles, Sick's Pack, Asylum Street Spankers, Primate Fiasco, Club 7,  
and a bunch of others play. And we listen to the way they play them.  
We still learn from kids.

Cheers

Steve Barbone
www.barbonestreet.com
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband